1. Field of the Invention
This invention concerns a container liner bag used for transporting granular goods or bulks such as malts, grains, feed stocks and sands, or malodorous goods such as hides. More specifically, the present invention relates to a bulkhead device for supporting the end face of a container liner bag on the side of a door.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Granular goods such as malts, grains, feed stocks and sands are generally transported on bulk containers which, for example, have three manholes of about 50 cm diameter formed at the ceiling. It has also been attempted to transport such goods by using dry containers.
When transportating granular goods on containers, it is necessary to wash the inside of the container after every transportation so that goods formerly transported have no undesired effects on the goods to be transported subsequently.
However, the washing work is not always easy even in a bulk container which can be washed relatively easily and the container can not be used again till the inside thereof is completely dried after the washing. Particularly, the dry containers involve a problem upon transporting food goods from a sanitary point of view since the washing procedures are relatively complex and various kinds of goods are handled in the dry containers.
In addition, while smelly hides are usually transported on dry containers, keenly smelling water droplets are deposited to the inner walls, particularly, to the bottom walls of the containers and can not completely be deodorized by usual washing. Further, since the droplets contain salts, they cause the problem of corrosion in the containers.
For overcoming the foregoing problems, it has heretofore been proposed, for example, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,951,284 (Canadian Pat. No. 948039) and U.S. Pat. No. 4,461,402 (Canadian Pat. No. 1179613), that an inner liner or liner bag be installed at the inside of a container and that a plurality of tabs disposed spaced apart from each other along the upper circumferential edge of the inner liner be engaged to hooks disposed at the periphery of the container directly or by way of stretcheable connectors, so that the inner liner is secured to the inside of the container.
By using these container inner liners, the need for washing the inside of the container and subsequent drying work is eliminated since only the inner liner needs to be replaced. In addition, if it is applied to a dry container, the dry container can be utilized as a bulk container thereby enabling significant improvements in the transportation efficiency, etc.
In the case of using such an inner liner or liner bag, since a large force is exerted from the goods or cargoes to the end face of the liner bag on the side of a door, it needs a bulkhead, that is, a retainer panel capable of sufficiently resisting the force even if the door is opened.
Furthermore, since not all of the dry containers or bulk containers are adapted to be installed with the liner bag, it is demanded that the bulkhead can be mounted without reconstructing the existent containers and that the bulkhead can be reduced in the size as much as possible when it is not used.
The U.S. Pat. No. 3,951,284 (Canadian Pat. No. 948039) proposes the bulkhead device of this kind, in which a bulkhead made of plywood or the like in combination with cross beams and vertical ties is fitted to engage into recessed grooves formed on both of the sides of the container on the side of a door, or disposed at the back of the corner posts disposed to both of the sides of the container on the side of a door.
However, since a bulkhead device of this kind has a predetermined rigid configuration, if it is fitted to engage under tilting into the recessed grooves disposed to both sides of the container on the side of the door, it is difficult to engage the same into the recessed grooves since the orthogonal ends thereof abut against the bottom of the recessed grooves. This problem may be overcome by reducing the lateral size of the bulkhead, but this increases the lateral rattling when the bulkhead is fitted to engage into the recessed grooves and it may even possibly be detached from the recessed grooves thereby causing an extreme danger. It has another defect that it can not be reduced in the size when it is not used.
Further, the bulkhead device as described above, is made of a rigid plate and an opening of a predetermined shape is formed therein, through which the goods in the container inner liner are discharged. However, such a structure can not cope with a case where a large opening may be required depending on the kind of goods.
It may be considered to upwardly slide the bulkhead along the recessed groove as a countermeasure. However, since the bulkhead undergoes an intense force from the inside in a state where goods are charged in the container inner liner, it is actually almost impossible to slide the bulkhead upwardly along the recessed grooves.